BITE user comments - Pub_Pilgrim
Comments by Pub_Pilgrim
And the award for the worst pub food tasted in the last 10 years goes to....drum roll....Great Expectations! Utterly awful. Ordered a steak baguette. Think supermarket thin sliced beef, placed on a grill until it can been torn like card and then place in a nuked baguette. First time I have sent food back before even touching it in over 10 years.
5 Apr 2011 13:15
Visited this place a few weeks ago with my family, including my mother and father-in-law. Unfortunately, a bitterly disappointing experience. Starters arrived at intervals of 15 mins. The biggest issue however was the lack of a welcome from the staff. The girl behind the bar was too concerned about making sure the children stayed away from the bar - ok, fair enough but there is a way of doing this without annoying the parents. The woman who appeared to be the manageress arrived the main courses, asked who was having the steak, my father-in-law (who is 70) did not hear her first time so she had to repeat herself. When he responded that it was his, her reply was "oh, he does have a voice then". Very rude - and unlikely to go down well after such shoddy performance on the starters! Judging by the constant blackboard outside this place advertising for new staff, I can perhaps understand why this place continues to have problems. It boasts a recent re-fit. Unfortunately, the issues we saw are far more integral.
2 Mar 2011 09:07
Fantastic place. Clean and fresh inside, plenty for the children to do outside. Possibly the best welcome we have received from any pub for quite some time, nothing was too much trouble. The young lady behind the bar is on the ball, very professional and knows how to keep customers happy. The little ones get crayons and fun books, and balloons. The beer is good (nice crisp pint of IPA). The food is probably how pub food should be - very reasonably priced, not trying to be too clever, and satisfies the whole family. I found myself not wanting to score this place too high so that it doesn't become too popular! A lot of pub owners in the area could do with visiting this place to how it is done.
6 Sep 2010 16:52
We visited The Volunteer on Sunday 16th May 2010 for Sunday lunch. Never again! The board described how a sirloin of beef and lamb shank were on offer, and yet when we ordered - sorry, slices of lamb only. This was at 12.30.....lunch had only been going 30 mins! Not to worry, my wife opted for the beef and I went with the cod instead. Unfortunately, when it arrived I could have opened the batting for England with it, black, dried out and rock hard batter, hiding away the soggy mess inside. The chips were also undercooked - hard and cold inside. In fact, the only thing edible on the plate was the lemon wedge! Sadly, the beef was also a let down - straight from the meat counter at the supermarket, soggy potatoes and nuked veg.....microwave food at its worst! When asked at the end if the meal was okay, I questioned whether the food was from the mircowave and the waitress laughed. Kind of summed things up at The Volunteer. If you have to visit this place, and there are no kebab vans nearby that would quite clearly offer a more fulfilling meal, stick with a bag of crisps and a pint. Terrible stuff.
18 May 2010 09:05
We visited the Queen's College Arms, Tadley on the afternoon of Saturday 14th March. We visited this place about year ago, although we just had beer and crisps that day. This time we ordered the "famous" smokey (aka fish pie) and I had the ribs (priced at �10.99). We ordered at the bar and, like the previous post, literally 4 minutes later the meals were on the table. Mircowave food at premium prices unfortunately - and oh dear, what a disgraceful attempt at pub grub. The ribs arrived in a soup bowl, the sauce was steaming on top but luke warm underneath. I have no doubt that these ribs had come straight out of a plastic bag - utterly tasteless and disgusting. The fish pie was a sorry looking affair and apparently didn't taste nice. The side of vegetables (an extra �2) came in a small brulee dish and had been nuked beyond recognition. At no time were we asked if the meals were okay, the staff just don't seem interested anymore. Such a shame because the beer was good - Tanglefoot and various other good quality ales. Unfortunately, despite the attractive surroundings, this place deserves to go under on this performance. Avoid it. Honestly, it really was awful.
17 Mar 2009 08:49
One of those rare finds that restores your faith in the British pub. We rolled up at 2.35pm on Saturday afternoon - 5 mins after food had stopped. The landlady (Carlsberg don't do landladies but if they did.....) made all us very welcome and offered to keep the kitchen open whilst we order. The classic "sit yourselves down, I'll bring your drinks over" approach and such a refreshing change from the grunts and groans of other establishments these days. Excellent selection of beer, we went for the 6x which was in top condition. The food was fresh, good portions and well presented. The fish and chips were excellent - two chunks pieces of fish, not a bone in sight and light crispy chips. The freshly carved ham off the bone also looked good. We'll be making a special trip back to the warm and child friendly Tally-Ho.
13 Mar 2009 13:54
The Plume of Feathers, Hungerford
It's not often we go into a pub and turn around again without even sampling the beer. Sadly, this is precisely what happened last weekend at The Plume of Feathers, Hungerford. Pleasant enough interior, fair selection of beer, but the 'welcome' was dreadful. Four hungry adults and one hungry child wanting to sample some old fashioned pub grub. We were told we could not sit at a large table because it was reserved....not for another customer....but "in case a larger party of people come in"! We were subsequently told that we could order food but would have to move if the table was required!! The woman at the bar (apparently in charge - although a steward's enquiry is pending) clearly needs to learn about customer service. Unfortunately in these uncertain times, pubs will need to work much harder for our well earned cash. Disappointing.
13 Mar 2009 13:43
Downshire Arms, Bracknell
What a great find! The staff could not do enough for us when we visited recently. The food was good and reasonably priced, the place was clean and fresh, and the children were kept entertained throughout with balloons and colouring books. A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon had by all.
5 Apr 2011 13:17